


The Rifts are Taking Their Toll ::Inquisition Shorts::

by MlleJoli



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 06:27:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15358266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MlleJoli/pseuds/MlleJoli
Summary: The rifts are powerful magic, and our newly appointed Inquisitor is more motivated than ever to close them all, once she sees the future that still may yet come to pass. Perhaps, she is too ambitious to fix the world.





	The Rifts are Taking Their Toll ::Inquisition Shorts::

Until recently, Danythari lived a somewhat normal life. After joining the Inquisition, she was given her freedom with the understanding that she would regrettably be working for the humans, but it was better than death, and it was certainly better than prison. The elf liked to roam, and her position afforded her such a luxury. She also liked to be a hero, even if people would just as easily dismiss her. She ultimately knew what she was doing was a good thing, and so she continued to parade around, closing rifts and killing demons. That is was she was good at. 

Or, at the very least, that is what she thought. After her trip to the future, she had seen something horrible. She'd seen her own failure glaring at her. She'd seen her home destroyed, her friends turned into a farm for lyrium. She had witnessed the worst of the Fade becoming a reality outside of the Veil, and it was so much worse than she could have ever imagined. It was because of this, Danythari had forced her team to travel for days on end with the sole purpose of closing rifts. She needed to make the sky whole again. She needed something to do while the Inquisition picked itself back up after the assault on Haven. She needed to kill a lot of demons. 

However, despite the grim motivation for her current adventure, she actually quite enjoyed her new friend, Dorian. He was high maintenance, of course, and _Tevinter,_ but something about his merciless complaining about being outdoors made her feel normal again. She liked his hair especially, though she knew better than to pay him the compliment, but most of all, she liked what he could represent. An elf as the Harold of Andraste, and a Tevinter mage by her side? The world was turning upside down. Better yet, she also liked to show off her Qunari, as well, and he certainly loved to be seen. Overall, her band of misfits were unexpected, to say the least, but they were hers, and all that she needed. She was particularly glad also to have this time away from people, however Dorian made it very clear he was not enjoying himself.

'Well, of course you'd find this fun, you're Dalish,' he huffed. 'I don't think my horse likes me, I haven't bathed in two days now and I am not certain these stains will ever come out.'

Dany smiled to herself, as she consulted her map. 'Relax, Dorian. The last few reports are just beyond the valley,' she said pointing vaguely Northward. 'Just think, once we return to Skyhold, your quarters should be ready,' she said lightly, hoping he hadn't changed his mind yet. 

'Ah, yes,' he drew in a deep breath. 'I'll have a nice, warm bed waiting for me in a cold, damp castle in the middle of no where. What else could a man ask for?' 

'Now, now. If I remember correctly, you're the one who insisted on joining us,' she scolded, craning her neck to look back at him. 'Not regretting your decision, are you?' 

Dorian forced a smile. 'Not at all!'

She ordered her team to advance forward. She soon felt the familiar tingle of a nearby rift that would slowly creep up her arm, at which point they continued on foot. The last thing they needed was another horse running away because the demons scared it away. It would have been Dany's turn to walk, and she was not wanting any of that. 

Upon their arrival, as if on queue, demons poured out of the rift, and she hacked and slashed her way through them all. Bull was excellent at drawing their attention and slicing their limbs off, but it was the mages, she thought, that really held the team together. Between Solas and Dorian, it sometimes felt like she barely had to do anything anymore--Dorian was much stronger than she initially gave him credit for, and Solas was even more vicious than he. They were a great team, despite their vast differences, and Danythari wouldn't have it any other way. 

Once the demons were dead, Bull carefully wiped off his new broadsword and Dorian and Solas exchanged their catty quips, while Dany closed the rift. She still had no idea how it worked, but all that mattered was that it did. However, this time, something seemed.... Off. Usually closing the rift would make her feel almost energetic, as the magic surged through her, but this time was quite the opposite. She knew she was tired, the last rift had also felt different, and perhaps she should not have ignored it. It was as if she were being punished for doing the one thing she was supposed to do; The connection from her hand to the rift was unusually painful, like fire burning out of her palms and boiling the blood in her veins. She yelped out in pain just as the connection was severed, and the rift snapped shut. She fell to a knee, breathless, steadying herself with a blade she stuck in the ground, still held in her unmarked hand. 

Bull was the first to her side. 'Boss! Are you okay?'

'I'm fine,' she replied shortly as she pushed him away, determined to stand on her own. 'I'm only tired, is all.' She did finally manage to stand, and she sheathed her weapons with a scowl. Every muscle in her body ached and cried for a rest. She was all too happy to oblige. 'Let us find somewhere to camp for the night... I need to sleep.'

'Are you sure you're alright?" Solas asked from behind her. 

She dismissed him, not allowing him to help her walk. 'I said I am fine, Solas, just relax.' She huffed as she stepped forward, ordering Bull to find a cave "or something" for shelter. She was able to keep up with them for a little while, almost making it back to the horses, before she had to tell her team to stop. 

'My breastplate,' she gasped. 'It's too heavy...' Solas was the first to help her remove her cuirass, despite her unhelpful struggling. 

'You should lay down, lathallan,' Solas said as he fussed over her. 

Dany pulled at the neck line of her undershirt, as if it were chocking her. 'I'm fine, I just need to breathe,' she said. 

Solas would have demanded she sit down while they brought a horse to her, but he didn't have the time. She'd taken barely two steps before the fell. Dorian reached out and barely caught her before she hit the ground, and stumbled trying to support her. By the time he steadied himself, she'd already fallen unconscious. 

Solas cursed. 'Bull, quickly, get the horses!' 

'What's wrong with her?' Dorian asked as Solas knelt down before him. 'What do we do?'

Solas shook his head, flustered. In truth, he had no idea what to do. 'Your guess is as good as mine,' he said, completely at a loss. 'I am not familiar with this type of magic... But perhaps because she is not a mage it is draining her?' He took Dany into his arms, and shook her gently, attempting to wake her. He had thought to advise she take things easy, and was mad at himself for not saying anything before hand. It seemed to take Bull forever to return with the horses in tow. Solas suggested they return to Skyhold, and Dorian wholeheartedly agreed. Danythari was hoisted up into Solas' lap, and Dorian pulled her horse behind him.

The ride back to Skyhold seemed to stretch on for eons. After a while, Solas struggled to keep Dany on his horse, his arm eventually growing tired from trying to keep her from falling. Bull offered to help, but Solas was inexplicably too stubborn to receive it. There was little conversation between them--Dorian did have some mundane questions about the mark and how Danythari had received it, but it was only to fill the silence. Not even Bull had anything sarcastic to say, mocking or otherwise. 

The Dalish elf did eventually wake, though, and she was not happy when she saw where she was. 

"Why are we here, Solas?' She said, as she forced herself to sit upright. 'Last I knew, this was the way to Skyhold. And I am certain I did not ask to return to Skyhold.'

'I couldn't risk you being unwell, and away from the healers,' he said, quietly. 

She scoffed. 'The healers are ill-equipped to help me. You know this as well as I do.'

'I won't apologise for being safe, Danythari,' he said, sternly. He could see that she had clenched her jaw, as if to restrain herself. 'Why does this anger you?' 

She drew in a deep breath. 'I needed to get away,' she replied in Elvhen. She didn't want Bull or Dorian to understand her. 'I needed to fix my failure. And this is step one.'

Solas shook his head. 'You won't save the world by dying prematurely,' he replied in kind. 'You need to be more careful.' 

'You can at least let me ride to Skyhold on my own horse,' she spoke in the common tongue, so the whole team would know to stop. 

It hadn't occurred to Solas how the events at Redcliff had shaken her. She'd had a very sudden frenzy about her, while she was always like the calm before the storm. He had also never considered how being stuck in a castle, even one like Skyhold, had made her wanderlust even stronger. She was even further away from everything, the places where she would have normally roamed, and surrounded by people... Humans... Who still whisper behind her back. Maybe this wasn't entirely about getting away from the humans. Maybe, she needed a reminder of everything she would lose if they did not stop this Elder One. Either way, she would have to eventually return home, but he did feel a strange pang of guilt that it was him that took her away from her comfort zone again. 

It wasn't long before the bells rung to announce their return. The team had agreed to let Dany ride alone, so as to not attract too much attention, though she was already drawing everyone's eye for their early return. Cassandra and Cullen, who greeted them at the gates, especially seemed to notice that something was wrong. They both demanded everyone get back to their beds, and Cassandra swept Danythari away from the crowd. Solas was ordered to collect whatever she might have needed, but he didn't know where to start. He knew for sure though, that the night would be long. If his suspicions were correct, the mark was slowly consuming her, and the more rifts she closed, the more of her would be lost to the anchor. Above all else, at this particular moment, he was concerned the anchor would die before its time.


End file.
